There are going to be a lot of moving pieces during the LA Chargers offseason that will decide how successful the team can be in 2022. After finishing with a 9-8 record in 2021, the Chargers really need to hit a home run in the offseason in order to capitalize on the contending window that exists with Justin Herbert on his rookie deal.
There are a lot of different possibilities this offseason and one that some fans are calling for is the departure of Jerry Tillery and Kenneth Murray. Two recent first-round picks by the Chargers, Tillery and Murray have been really disappointing thus far.
You can definitely make the case that the Chargers are better off when both players are on the sideline and not on the field. Tillery showed some improvements in his pass rush but he is still horrid against the run. Murray struggled in a multitude of ways and simply does not seem up to speed to be an NFL linebacker.
While both players have been disappointing and should not have big roles in the 2022 season, one thing is for certain.
There is zero chance that the LA Chargers move on from Jerry Tillery or Kenneth Murray.
It just makes no sense for the LA Chargers to do this. While both players were bad last season it is not like they have massive cap hits. Both players are playing on their rookie contracts and do not really impact the cap in any way. Moving on from them is not going to make the team more flexible with its spending.
It is not like either player is going to get much in a trade, either, The absolute most that the Chargers could get for either player would be a sixth-round pick. Is it worth trading either player for a sixth-round pick? Absolutely not.
Tillery is who he is as a pro at this point but he still brings value as a depth rotational pass rusher from the inside. Meanwhile, there is a world in which Murray pieces it together in the second year of this Brandon Staley defense and capitalizes on his insane athleticism to turn into a more well-rounded linebacker.
At the very worst both guys could be depth options for the team moving forward. The chances of the Chargers finding someone to outright take their spots on the 53-man roster is slim to none. And even if they did, multiple players would have to earn roster spots over these two in training camp for either to not be on the team next season.
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I know it was frustrating to watch both Murray and Tillery play last season and I cannot blame any fan for wanting the team to move on. It just does not make sense from a logistical sense and at this point, the team just has to hold out hope that they can provide in whatever role they have next season.